Liaisons (episode)
As alien dignitaries visit the ship, Picard's shuttle crashes on a desolate moon where he meets a woman who has been stranded there for seven years. Summary The ''Enterprise'' welcomes two Iyaaran ambassadors, Loquel and Byleth, who are visiting the ship as part of a cultural exchange that will also send Captain Jean-Luc Picard to their planet, Iyar. Before Picard departs, he assigns Counselor Deanna Troi to act as Loquel's liaison and asks Commander William Riker to do the same for Byleth. However, upon their arrival, Byleth demands that Lt. Worf serve as his shipboard guide. Soon afterward, Picard departs for the Iyar with Voval, the gruff and uncommunicative Iyaaran shuttle pilot. Their awkward silence is disrupted by a malfunction aboard their ship. Crashing on an unknown Class M moon, Voval receives a concussion. Picard, seemingly unhurt, decides to seek help outside the shuttle, but falls to the ground trying to traverse the planet's stormy surface. As he lies unconscious, someone silently drags him away. Picard awakens in the small, dimly-lit cabin of a crashed cargo freighter . He is approached by a solemn, attractive human woman who informs him that Voval did not survive the crash. Picard learns that the woman's name is Anna and that she is the sole survivor of a Terellian cargo freighter crash that occurred seven years before. After Anna tells Picard that he has three broken ribs, he sends her to retrieve the shuttlecraft's comm panel in order to send a distress signal. Anna returns with a non-functional panel, which she accidentally destroyed when removing it with a phaser. Picard is then shocked when Anna suddenly kisses him and tells him she loves him. Meanwhile, on the Enterprise, Loquel has become fascinated by the existence of desserts, as his people only eat for sustenance. He is equally intrigued by children, as Iyaarans are born fully grown. He and Troi partake in many desserts, much to Troi's eventual dismay. At the same time, Worf is struggling to maintain his composure due to the abrasive, demanding personality of Byleth. Riker decides that the tension might be eased by a "friendly" game of poker, however the game is anything but "friendly" when Worf realizes that Byleth is stealing chips. Worf eventually loses control and, despite Riker's insistence that he calm down, attacks his guest. But instead of getting angry, Byleth is pleased. He expresses admiration for Worf's display of anger and politely excuses himself to document the experience, leaving everyone confused. Back on the moon, Picard becomes enraged at Anna when he realizes that his ribs are not really broken, and the woman, who continues to beg for his love, is actually holding him captive. He angrily alerts Anna to his discovery, at which point she becomes distraught over failing to gain his affection and rushes out the door, breaking off her necklace. Picard runs out to find her, only to encounter Voval, who is very much alive. Voval explains that he only appeared to be dead because, when Lyaarans are injured, their metabolic rates slow down in order to promote healing. He and Picard set off in search of Anna, eventually separating. Picard finds Anna standing at the edge of a cliff, threatening to commit suicide if he does not tell her he loves her. When he notices that Anna is again wearing her necklace and that Voval has again disappeared, Picard senses that something strange is going on and tells Anna to go ahead and jump. At that moment, she transforms into Voval, who explains that he is not really a pilot, but an Iyaaran ambassador. He staged the crash in order to study the emotion of love, non-existent on the Iyaaran homeworld, by using Picard as a subject. Similarly, Loquel and Byleth were sent to experience pleasure and antagonism. Picard is taken aback at first, but upon returning to the Enterprise, joins Worf and Troi in deeming the experience a worthwhile one. Memorable Quotes "I want this one." : - Ambassador Byleth, asking to be escorted by Worf "I am going to kill him with my bare hands." : - Worf, referring to Byleth "You are a pompous fool! And if you were not an Ambassador, I would disembowel you right here!" : - Worf, to Byleth "I have heard that in moments of diplomatic tension, it is often helpful to find elements of commonality." "Ambassador Byleth is demanding, temperamental, and rude!" "You share all of those qualities in abundance! Perhaps you should try to build on your similarities." : - Data and Worf Background Information * The crashed cargo ship in which Picard meets Anna is very similar to the one used by the Augments, led by Khan Noonien Singh, on Ceti Alpha V, in . * During the poker game, Worf accuses Byleth of stealing two of Worf's chips when, in fact, he actually stole three chips. * The story initially contained a subplot of Troi earning the rank of Commander. This was later used in . In an uncredited rewrite, Brannon Braga created the tests undertaken by the other Iyaarans (ST: TNG Companion) * Director Cliff Bole was disappointed with the episode, citing constant rewrites as the cause. (ST: TNG Companion) * According to the Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion, Eric was named after a nephew of Brannon Braga. * Chocolate-covered raisins were originally bought for Loquel's poker-game snack, but this was changed at the last minute as it was found that Paul Eiding was allergic to chocolate. (ST: TNG Companion) * This is the first episode in which Worf, Troi, and Doctor Crusher are seen in their dress uniforms. * In a cut scene, Byleth awoke Worf at 0500 for a tour of the arboretum. Video and DVD releases *UK VHS release (two-episode tapes, CIC Video): Volume 77, . *As part of the TNG Season 7 DVD collection. Links and References Main Cast *Patrick Stewart as Jean-Luc Picard *Jonathan Frakes as William Riker *LeVar Burton as Geordi La Forge *Michael Dorn as Worf *Gates McFadden as Beverly Crusher *Marina Sirtis as Deanna Troi *Brent Spiner as Data Guest Stars *Barbara Williams as Anna *Eric Pierpoint as Voval *Paul Eiding as Loquel *Michael Harris as Byleth Co-Stars *Rickey D'Shon Collins as Eric Burton (credited as "Boy") Uncredited Co-Stars *David Keith Anderson as Ensign Armstrong *Michael Braveheart as Ensign Martinez *Carl David Burks as Ensign Russell *Unknown actress as Crewman Burton References Betazed; bio-enzymatic supplement; class M; coltayin root; Iyaaran; Iyar; Klingon Empire; Ktarian chocolate puff; microfusion flare; papalla juice; peach cobbler; plasma storm; poker; post-cellular compounding; premier; suicide; Tarvokian powder cake; Terellian; Terellian freighter. |next= }} Category:TNG episodes de:Indiskretionen es:Liaisons nl:Liaisons